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TEA. 



plants would be burnt up by the sun. The vegetable or organic 

 matter contained in these soils is also subject to a good deal of 

 variation. The soils of the Himalayas are much richer in organic 

 matter, and contain stone or slate to a greater extent. These also, as 

 they contain a certain amount of clay, form a more tenacious soil, less 

 liable to wash away, but apt to cake in dry weather ; and whenever 

 this caking extends below the surface of the soil, the roots of the 

 plant will suffer. Moderate cohesion at the surface is desirable, 

 as by this means an abundant supply of moisture is preserved un- 

 derneath. Perhaps, as far as soil is concerned, some of the Hima- 

 layan soils are the richest of all the tea districts of India. In 

 Southern India the soils are, in suitable localities, richer than those 

 of Eastern Bengal, but slightly less so than the best Himalayan 

 soils. The sui-face soil is a fine rich loam, sometimes more than 

 four feet deep, varying in colour from a yellowish ochre to a rich 

 deep chocolate. In some cases a good deal of stone is mixed up 

 with the soil, but on this point I shall have occasion to speak 

 hereafter. In these remarks on the soils of the various districts, 

 it is not intended to assert that the soils all over the districts men- 

 tioned are of this nature, but only those lands which are adapted 

 for tea cultivation. Before entering upon the subject of soils to 

 be avoided, a few remarks will be necessary regarding subsoils. 

 I consider the latter entitled to quite as much consideration as the 

 surface soils. The best subsoil for tea is a reddish and slightly 

 ferruginous clayey gravel. The tap-roots are able to penetrate this 

 to any depth, in search of moisture. The presence of stone in a sub- 

 soil is not injurious, unless it is present in the form of slabs or 

 large boulders. In this latter case the tap-root is unable to clear 

 the obstacle, and the plant dies. In Bengal a subsoil composed of 

 sand with a slight admixture of clay is a very good one. The clay 

 retains moisture, while the sand causes filtration, and does not 

 allow any water to stagnate round the roots of the plants, in which 

 case they would soon rot. Clay by itself is too stiff and retentive, 

 while sand, on the other hand, is too porous, and renders it necessary 

 for the roots to penetrate to a very great depth before they can 

 reach moisture. The chief points therefore that are required in a 

 subsoil are: 1. That it should retain a sufiicient supply of flowing 

 moisture for the support of the roots of the plant ; 2. That the 

 moisture so retained should never stagnate ; 3. It should be so free 

 that the tap-root can penetrate it easily ; 4. That it should contain no 

 injurious quantity of mineral oxides. It is a generally received 

 opinion that all tea soils should be slightly ferruginous, that is, that 

 they should possess to a certain extent that reddish appearance which 

 always betrays tbe presence of iron in a soil. If this is not apj^arent 

 on the surface, it should, I think, at any rate, be perceptible in the 

 subsoil. There is one peculiarity common to the soils of all the 

 tea districts, which is the very slight percentage of lime contained 

 in them. The percentage of lime is by far highest in the Chitta- 

 gong soils. This peculiarity does not exist in India only, but 

 extends to the soil of the tea districts in China also. The exist- 

 ence of lime in a soil does not seem so necessary to the tea plant 



